Sharing what works to help solve Australia’s social problems
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The Biography Program - celebrating stories of people in aged care
The Problem
Whilst our ageing population grows, admission to a nursing home is typically a time of great loss: loss of independence, inability to fulfill important roles and loss of identity and meaning. Time spent in a nursing home can often be experienced as a period of neglect, loneliness, disconnection, grief and depression.
While many residents struggle to adapt to the many physical changes associated with ageing, illness and end of life, they have something uniquely valuable to contribute to the communities in which they live – their own unique life stories.
The Biography Program allows our elders to share their life story and to be known, affirmed and valued. The process itself helps sustain identity, creates a sense of community belonging, enhances personal meaning in life, and cultivates personal relationships.
The Solution
We support Volunteer Biographers who help people in aged care write and publish their life stories.
The Biography Program uses the power of storytelling to celebrate and honour the rich and unique life histories of older people in our community.